President Bill Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wave to supporters during an event Saturday in at the Old State House in Little Rock marking the 20th anniversary of Clinton's decision to run for president.
Bill Clinton at the Old State House: "I still believe in the promise of this country."
A view from the crowd as Bill Clinton speaks.
Paul Begala, a chief strategist of the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign, makes his way through the crowd.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a senior advisor to Bill Clinton from 1993-98, poses for a photo with supporters at the Old State House. He was later White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama.
Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark poses for photos outside the Old State House. Clark commanded Allied forces in the Kosovo War from 1997 to 2000.
Bill and Hillary Clinton once again appeared in front of the Old State House in downtown Little Rock Saturday (Oct. 1), 20 years after Bill Clinton first declared his intention to seek the presidency.
The former president spoke in the late afternoon to a crowd of about 5,000 people, including campaign volunteers and former administration staffers. Among them were former U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, former aide and now Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and political strategists James Carville and Paul Begala.
The event was part of a weekend-long celebration marking the anniversary of Clinton's 1991 presidential announcement. On Friday, the Clintons appeared at the Clinton Presidential Library to dedicate the new Presidential Park Bridge and the Bill Clark Wetlands.
Before the speech, volunteers handed out American flags, and rock band Chicago played a few songs. The crowd also saw a video montage describing Clinton's journey from Hope, Arkansas, to the White House, and heard a live address by phone from Clinton's vice president, Al Gore.
But as always, the Clintons were the main event. They emerged from the front doors of the Old State House to Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," which the Clinton campaign used as its theme song in 1992.
With the Main Street Food Truck Festival happening just a few blocks away, the afternoon held an almost carnival vibe. So attendees likely weren't prepared for Bill Clinton's speech, a spirited defense of the Obama administration and a call for Americas to stop fighting government and embrace what good it can do.
"There's not a single example on our planet, not one, where an anti-government strategy has produced a vibrant economy with strong and broad-based growth and prosperity," Clinton said.
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